Without History. There Would Be No Future.

Month: June 2016

Selina Amelia Lee, wife of Mr John Lee, draper. Mrs Lee (nee Smithee) was the first headmistress at the West Vale Girls’ School – then controlled by the Elland-cum-Greetland School Board – continuing to hold the office until her marriage. She sought election to the School Board as a representative of the Elland Ratepayers’ Association but was unsuccessful. Under the Education Act of 1902 she became the second lady member of the Elland Education Sub-committee, and from that time until her illness worked with great zeal and earnest enthusiasm. Mrs Lee was also a governor of the Elland Secondary School and she discharged many other public duties in Elland.

‘Berry, formerly public executioner, gave a lecture on his experiences, at the Central Hall, and notwithstanding the morbid character of the subject, a good audience gathered to hear him. The vulgar nature of Berry’s discourse, however, so disgusted some of its hearers that they left ere he had proceeded far. It is some time since such general severe public comment and condemnation was roused against any person appearing on a local platform.’

‘Berry, the notorious ex-hangman, found his way to Elland and triumphing at the Central Hall in the fact that he had hanged 193 human beings, and assisted in the execution of 5,000. Before Berry turned public lecturer with the aid of the magic lantern, there was no suspicion that he detested his calling. Circumstances alter cases, and now the man poses as the champion of the abolition of the system in which he played the leading part. There was a good audience at the Central Hall, including a few with a penchant for blood-curdling narratives. The choicest Billingsgate, however, finds no favour here.’

‘…the attendance at the second lecture of the series, delivered by Mrs C. K. Lamont in the Assembly Rooms, was both large and representative. Dr Hoyle presided.

Mrs Lamont in the course of her lecture emphasised the importance of a healthy diet during growth, the importance of taking meals regularly; and the influence of exercise on the general health. Over feeding, she said, placed an undue strain upon the digestive organs, renders the blood impure and in consequence the whole health suffers. Meals should be taken regularly and slowly. The stomach required three to four hours to digest an ordinary meal. Therefore three meals a day were sufficient. No heavy meal should be taken after eight o’clock in the evening. Milk at bed time was an excellent remedy for sleeplessness.

One point laid down by Mrs Lamont, it would be impossible for working people to carry into practice. This was the necessity of a short rest after meals.

After meals, she said, half an hour at least, should be allowed to elapse before heavy work either mental or physical should be attempted. Half the digestive troubles were caused amongst the working classes she proceeded, through the habit of drinking bad tea. Tea, unless made in a proper manner, was most apt to cause indigestion. Children under seven should not be given either tea or coffee.

Speaking on the importance of healthy exercise, the lecturer warned those present on the danger which existed of allowing boys to take too violent exercise. Many clever scholars have suffered life-long miseries through over training at college whilst indulging in exercise. Going on to the question of food, Mrs Lamont said that the perfect food for infants was milk, but there was no perfect food for adults to be found in one single substance. By a combination of foodstuffs, however, it was possible to arrive at the most perfect food-stuff. Oatmeal and milk made one of the most perfect foodstuffs it was possible to obtain.’